Masks will be required at B.C. schools as COVID-19 concerns remain

B.C. Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says face coverings will be required for all students in Grades 4 and up, as well as all staff and teachers. She also notes students will return to full-time, in-person learning.

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Masks will be back in B.C. classrooms when students and staff return for the new school year.

Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside says face coverings will be required for all students in Grades 4 and up, as well as all staff and teachers. She also notes students will return to full-time, in-person learning.

“Along, of course, with the other health and safety measures that will keep students and staff safe,” she said Tuesday.

The masks do not have to be medical-grade. They will be required in all indoor areas of schools, including classrooms and on buses. Kindergarten to Grade 3 students will continue to be encouraged, but not required, to wear masks.

“This means students can look forward to a resumption of safe, in-person, full-time learning, extra-curricular activities, sports, arts, performing arts, and music. We also know they’re also looking forward to seeing their friends, teachers, librarians, coaches, and all of the other school staff,” Whiteside added.

When it comes to ventilation, Whiteside says $87.5 million in provincial and federal funding has gone toward air quality improvements in schools.

“Forty-four of B.C.’s 60 school districts have upgraded their HVAC systems,” said Whiteside, adding there are over 1,500 public schools in B.C. “and 100 per cent of those schools are working on ventilation.”

No vaccine mandate

She says B.C. and its schools are in a much different situation now than they were the same time last year, mainly because of vaccinations.

While she highlights the importance of vaccines to getting through the pandemic, Whiteside has not made any indication they will be mandatory. She is instead encouraging people 12 years and up who are eligible to get the jab.

“We are committed to safe in-class learning, not just for the educational growth of students, but also for their social and emotional wellbeing. We recognize that COVID is an ever-changing pandemic that will continue to challenge us this year,” Whiteside said.

The province notes it’s been working closely with the steering committee and the BC Centre for Disease Control to update health and safety guidelines for schools.

Daily health checks, attendance management, ensuring students and staff don’t come to school while sick, best hygiene practices, enhanced cleaning, and a health and safety checklist for school administrators are all among those guidelines, Whiteside said.

Whiteside says the provincial measures can be supplemented by regional measures, as needed. That includes any required measures targeted to specific schools or districts.

In June, the province announced $46 million pandemic-specific funding, which included money to address learning impacts.

When it comes to ventilation, Whiteside says $87.5 million in provincial and federal funding has gone toward air quality improvements in schools.

“Forty-four of B.C.’s 60 school districts have upgraded their HVAC systems,” said Whiteside, adding there are over 1,500 public schools in B.C. “And 100 per cent of those schools are working on ventilation.”

School plan ‘doesn’t go far enough’ given Delta, rising cases, say some teachers

While the mask mandate is returning to classrooms across B.C., the province’s plan doesn’t go far enough to address the concerns of all teachers. Matt Westphal, president of the Surrey Teachers Association, says members believe the plan is lacking, given the Delta variant and rising case numbers across B.C.

“One thing we have been calling for is to require masks for all students, including those in Kindergarten to Grade 3, and this plan doesn’t do that,” he told NEWS 1130 just moments after the announcement.

When it comes to younger children and whether they are actually able to wear masks, Westphal says he’s heard from a number of teachers who have said they have had no issues getting their young students to keep face coverings on.

“Young children are capable of doing it and really should,” he added.

Currently, children under the age of 12 are not able to get vaccinated as no vaccine has been approved for people in this age group. That has raised concerns for many who worry children will continue to spread COVID-19.

The Surrey Teachers Association is pleased with new measures in that they permit variation across the province rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. However, Westphal says there are some details that still need to be clarified.

“Teachers are looking forward to getting back and seeing their students, and they also wonder whether the schools will be as safe as they should be — especially given what’s happening with the Delta variant and the concerning case numbers we have, which are higher than they were this time last year, even with vaccinations,” Westphal said.

Surrey was a major hot spot during the school year for COVID-19 cases. Westphal says lessons have been learned, and that cleaning is a highly important element of safety measures.

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“This is actually relaxing on the cleaning requirements from the last year. So things will happen only once per day,” he explained. “Last year, we saw what a big difference it made having daytime custodians in elementary schools which is something we used to have, back in the day, and we really need to have that again. So we think there needs to be a continued priority on having those higher cleaning requirements.”

When it comes to ventilation and air quality in schools, Westphal believes there’s still a lot of work to be done in various districts. He says for schools that are not able to upgrade their systems right away, portable units should be available for classrooms while they wait.

Meanwhile, though vaccines are not being mandated for teachers or staff, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) — which has been vocal about its demands — says it would not oppose such a measure.

“We would need to see details about protection of privacy and accommodation for workers with exemptions,” the BCTF said in a tweet Tuesday. “In the meantime, we need to focus on masks for all, ventilation and distancing.”

Post-secondary vaccination requirements

Post-secondary institutions will also see COVID-19 measures of their own, including mandatory vaccination for many aspects of university or college, including for student housing, gyms, and pubs. They are not mandatory for students to attend classes or enter the bookstore, but proof of vaccination will be required for many aspects of on-campus life.

“That same proof of vaccination will also be required for activities that can be a big part of student life, like indoor concerts and attending indoor sports events,” said Advanced Education Minister Anne Kang.

“Colleges and universities may choose to adopt their own vaccine policies, or ask for proof of vaccination that go beyond those set out in the provincial health order.”

Kang also encouraged people to get vaccinated if they are eligible and have not yet done so.

The mask mandate will also apply to post-secondary campuses.

In addition to the new school measures, the province aloes announced Tuesday that masks would once again be mandatory in all indoor public spaces, as of Wednesday, Aug. 25.

On Monday, B.C. announced it was bringing in a proof of vaccination system as of September, limiting where non-vaccinated people will be able to go over the next several months.

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